The invention relates to an image pick up device (401) with pixels
arranged in rows and columns. Every pixel (301) comprises a
photosensitive element (302), a floating diffusion (304), a transfer
transistor (303), an amplifying transistor (305) having its control
electrode connected to the floating diffusion (304), and a reset
transistor (306). An external node (310) is coupled to a selection switch
via a row selection bus (406). The selection switch (411) provides either
a first bias voltage, generated by a first voltage source (409), or a
second bias voltage, generated by a second volt age source (410), to the
row selection bus (406). Applying the first bias voltage and
simultaneously turning on the reset transistor (306) programs the
floating diffusion (304) to the first bias voltage which biases the
amplifying transistor (305) in an on-mode, thereby selecting the pixel
(301). Likewise, applying the second bias voltage biases, the amplifying
transistor (305) in an off-mode, thereby deselecting the pixel (301).
This way of selecting and deselecting pixels avoids the need for a
separate selection transistor in every pixel, thereby increasing the fill
factor of the pixels. This approach is especially useful for image pick
up devices applying correlated double sampling (CDS).